Head-support for beds



(No Model.)

W. S. SEYMOUR. HEAD SUPPORT FOR BEDS.

No. 493,303. Patented Mar. 14,1893.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.

\VILLIAM S. SEYMOUR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO M. H.MARCUS & BRO, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

HEAD-SUPPORT FOR BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,303, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed September 10 1892. Serial N0. =4 (No 11105811) T0 atwhom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. SEYMOUR, a resident of Philadelphia, inthe county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Head-Supports for Beds; and I dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof the invention, suchas will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvementin head supports for beds,theobject of the invention being to'produce a head support for a bed whichshall be exceedingly simple in construction, cheap to manufacture andoffectual in the performance of its functions.

A further object is to construct the device in such manner that itcan beoperated equally well from either side of the bed Without any liabilityof any parts of the device twisting or otherwise becoming out of properalignment.

A further object is to construct a head support fora bed in suchmannerthat the proper engagement of the dogs at both sides of the bedwith their respective ratchet bars will be insured and so that theirengagement will be simultaneous.

A further object is to so construct the device that it can be made tolie flat on the bed bottom when it is desired not to employ the headsupport.

A further object is to provide a head rest or support and the lockingdevice with springs so constructed and arranged that they will serve thedouble purpose of maintaining the locking devices in their proper lockedposition and at the same time assist in returning the support to itsclosed position when the locking devices are released.

A further object is to construct the yielding portion of the headsupport in such manner that it will possess a proper amount ofelasticity and be free to yield at all points in its length and at itslongitudinal edges.

With these objects in view the invention consists in certain novelfeatures of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts ashereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective viewillustrating my improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view.

A represents the frame of the bed, comprising side bars aand end bars b.To this frame the bed bottom is secured, said bed bottom being of anypreferred form of construction. For convenience of illustration I haveshown a woven wire bed bottom having myimprovements applied thereto.Vhen this form of bottom is employed I prefer to secure strips 0 to theend bars I) and to secure the ends of the woven wire bottom B to saidstrips. By this means the bed bottom B is elevated somewhat above theframe A so as to give room for certain parts of the head supporthereinafter described. It is evident that instead of providing thestrips 0, the end bars I) may be made of greater thickness than isusual.

The side bars a of the frame A are perforated at points in proximity tothe head of the frame for the accommodation of an oscillatory bar orshaft 0, the ends of which project somewhat beyond the said side barsand have arms D secured thereto. The arms D are preferably curved and attheir free ends are connected together by means of a rigid rod or bar d.

Extending from one arm D to the other is a yielding head rest E,preferably of woven wire such as used for the bed bottom, although otheryielding material could be employed if desired. In attaching theyielding material E to the arms D,dowels or rods F are passed throughthe meshes of the wire at the ends, and these dowels, together with theends of the yielding material are secured to the arms D by means ofstaples 6. From this construction and arrangement it will be seen thatboth longitudinal edges of the yielding material are free and that theyielding material or head rest will be permitted to yield freely at allpoints between its ends.

By making the arms D curved, the yielding head rest can be made to liefiat upon the bed bottom when it is not desired to employ a head rest.

Mounted at its ends in the side bars a of the frame A in proximity tothe oscillatory shaft 0 is another oscillatory shaft 0. The extremitiesof the shaft 0' are projected somewhat beyond the side bars a and have9' project from the ends of the shaft C.v

Springs 11 are attached at one end to the staples or pins g and at theirother ends to the staples or pins 7i, said springs being made topartially embrace the shaft 0. In practice I find that coiled springssuch as shown in the drawings answer well, but other kinds of springsmight be employed. From this construction and arrangement of-springs, itwill be clearly seen that the dogs will be maintained in contact withthe ratchet teeth in thearms D when the head rest is in position foruse, and that when said dogs are moved out of engagement with saidratchet teeth, the spring will assist in returning the head rest to itsfiat position on the bed bottom. Each dog G is provided with a handle Gwhereby to operate it. These handles may conveniently consist of a pieceof stout wire secured at one end to the dog and at the other end bent inthe form of a ring or loop.

From the construction and arrangement of the device as above described,it will be seen that the arms D, comprising the frame of the head restare rigidly connected to the ends of a shaft and consequently must moveexactly in unison with each other when the device is adjusted from oneposition to another. It will also be seen that the dogs G are secured tothe ends of another shaft and consequently when said shaft is turnedboth dogs must move in unison. It is therefore evident that the devicemay be operated from either side of the bed and both ends of the frameof the head rest and both dogs will move in unison, thus preventing thetwisting of the frameof the head rest or the turning of the dogsindependent of each other and insuring the proper engagement of saiddogs with the ratchet teeth of the arms D at all times.

The device is very simple in construction, cheap to manufacture, willobviate the use of a bolster on the bed and is effectual in theperformance of all its functions.

Slight changes might be made in the details of construction withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention or limiting its scope, hence Ido not wish to limit myself to the precise details of constructionherein set forth, but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a frame, and a pair of shafts capable of rockingtherein, of a head rest carried by one shaft, and dogs carried by theother shaft, and spring'secured to each shaft the ends of said springextending in opposite directions around the shafts, substantially as setforth.

2. The combination with a frame, a rock shaft supported in the frame,said shaft carrying a head rest, of a second rock shaft carrying dogs,and a spiral spring secured to each shaft in a manner to normally drawthe head rest and dogs toward each other, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a pivoted head rest, having teeth thereon andpivoted dog, of spiral spring extending from the axis of the head restto the axis of the dog whereby to rock said parts toward each othernormally, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination with a hinged head rest, of a dog pivoted inproximity to the head rest and adapted to cooperate therewith, a springextending from the axis of the head rest to the axis of the dog wherebyto rock said parts toward each other normally, and handles secured tothe dog for operating the latter, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination with a bed bottom, of a shaft mounted therein, armshaving ratchet teeth secured to the ends of said shaft, another shaftmounted in the bed bottom, dogs secured to the ends of said lastmentioned shaft and adapted to engage the ratchet teeth, and springsattached at their ends to said shafts in such manner as to maintain saiddogs in engagement with the ratchet teeth and tend to force the arms toa closed position and a flexible head rest secured to said arms,substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a bed bottom, of a shaft mounted therein, armshaving ratchet teeth, secured to the ends of said shaft, a flexible headrest connecting said arms, another shaft mounted in the bed bottom, dogssecured to the ends of said last mentioned shaft and adapted to engagesaid teeth, handles carried by the dogs, and springs attached at one endto one of said shafts and at the other end to the other shaft,substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM S. SEYMOUR.

\Vitnesses:

J. C. LOWENBAOH, HOWARD F. SAYLER.

